The Shield World
by Tobacco Crow
Summary: After strange lights appear in the sky and the loss of contact with a large Gear outpost, the COG sends Delta Squad in order to investigate what appears to be a Locust attack. The search reveals something far more serious: an invasion force of a strange alien coalition known as the Covenant. These invaders from space have only one goal in mind for every human on Sera: annihilation.


**DISCLAIMER: I do not know every detail about the EU of either _Halo_ or _Gears of War_. I have only played the games and read a few of the EU novels in _Halo_ 's case. If there is anything in the story that is not 100% canon, just know, I'm not really verse in out-of-game lore for _Gears_ and I haven't read every novel for _Halo_. I WILL, however, research what I can when I can and hopefully make it believable within each respective universe. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the story. :)**

 **ALSO. The 343 _Halos_ and _Gears of War 4_ WILL largely be excluded from the lore of this story. Although elements from them may show up later on, the plot-lines themselves will mostly be scrapped. This story deals primarily with the lore of the original Bungie trilogy of _Halo_ and the original Epic Games trilogy of _Gears of War_.**

* * *

Halo.

Its divine glory and everlasting sense of awe and wonder was something all who were noble to the Covenant's cause revered and beheld. The single greatest creations of the Forerunners, a race so wise and majestic that they had literally developed a way to ascend to godhood. They were objects that simply could not be matched by any other wonder in the galaxy. They were precious.

When the Fleet of Particular Justice had discovered the Ring just weeks ago, the entire Covenant was overjoyed. One of the seven Sacred Rings had finally been found. The promise of their Lords could be fulfilled, at last! All of the Covenant would join their forefathers in eternal glory. At least, that was what most of the Covenant troops in the Fleet were thinking for all those weeks. There was just one small problem: the Demon.

A single human ship had managed to find the Sacred Ring along with the Fleet, and aboard it was humanity's single greatest warrior: the Demon the humans referred to as "Spartan." With its blasphemous touch, the Demon plowed through Covenant forces stationed on Halo. Then, it released the Forerunners' greatest enemy, the Flood, upon the Covenant to distract them while it completed its maniacal true purpose.

When Halo's holy light ceased as explosions rocked its surface, every person in the Fleet had frozen with terror. Then, when the Ring split apart and cracks appear across its surface, their hearts sank completely. Their place of reverence was gone, and it was the fault of the Demon and its filthy human subordinates.

* * *

Rage and grief filled Tol's heart as he recalled the events of the previous few days.

Halo's destruction had dealt a toll on the morale of every being that had survived its destruction, and the Shipmaster was no different. Since the Ring's demise just two days earlier, he had not left his own quarters. He hadn't seen or spoken to another soul in that entire time, aside from Easy to Adjust, the Huragok that tended to him and his quarters personally. His crew had attempted to contact him, yes, but he had simply ignored them.

Most of what was left of the Fleet of Particular Justice had fled back to High Charity, certainly to report the discovery and destruction of Halo to the Hierarchs. Tol knew what would happen to the Fleet's commander, Thel 'Vadamee. The poor bastard would not live to see another Age for failing to safeguard Halo. But before the Ring's destruction, 'Vadamee had ordered all surviving ships to converge on certain points on the Ring. Tol's ship, the _Reclamation of Valor_ , was one of the closest ships to the Ring when it had blown apart. Were it not for 'Vadamee's sudden widespread warning to move away from Halo, and for the quick maneuvering of the ship's pilots, half of the _Valor_ likely would have been vaporized by the blast or have been cut in half by one of the Ring's fragments. Luckily, due to those reasons, the shields of the ship had taken the bulk of the explosion's force. The Shipmaster had to admit that the Unggoy pilots needed to be rewarded for their efforts to save the ship, as most if not all of the crew would be dead now if not for their actions.

However, that wasn't to say that the _Valor_ was completely unscathed. The slipspace drive and long range communication were completely inoperative, and many minor breaches extended throughout the long hull from small debris of the blast. Many of the ship's small arms for combating fighters and ship to ship combat were either gone or damaged beyond use. The last time Tol had been on the bridge, there had been at least fifty-four casualties from the concussive waves and tears to open space. However, it was ever so likely that the number had gone up since his isolation began. Not that the casualties were a big loss for the _Valor_ 's crew, as the ship's onboard numbers still reached close to 30,000, and the majority of those killed were Unggoy and Kig-yar.

When the rest of the Fleet had fled, Tol had accepted the fact that his life was over. If he did not die out here while stranded, he would certainly be executed upon his return to the Covenant, for the same reasons 'Vadamee and his commanders would. For the past two orbits of the nearby gas giant, the Sangheili Shipmaster had not drank or ate. He had instead done one thing: contemplate whether or not he should simply get his punishment over now, or reserve it for when he reunited with the Covenant, and to let the Prophets have their way with him.

The former was the easier option, as he would never have to face the High Council. He could simply kill himself ritually to gain a little bit of his honor back. In fact, he even had the small dagger on a desk nearby to do it with. He only had one personal gripe with that plan: it would strand his crew and soldiers to fend without him. Some of them had served under him for years, and to damn them to drift in space would surely be the mark of a cowardly and pitiful leader.

Tol stood up from the bed, the first time he had done so in almost a day. The sudden movement seemed to have startled Easy to Adjust, who had been sleeping in the upper corner of the room. The Huragok let out a few surprised chirps.

"Quiet." Tol commanded the Engineer, silencing its chirping. The Sangheili strolled across the room to the large bay window that graced his quarter's side. He gazed out into the vast emptiness of space, pondering what he should do.

Tol's thoughts came to a sudden stop when he noticed one thing that had not been there the last time he had looked out of this window: a ship. Not just any ship, but a Covenant ship. A Corvette, to be precise. Much akin to the scout ships the Covenant's navy sent out to possible human or Forerunner worlds ahead of the main fleets. It was as if the Corvette had just spontaneously appeared out of thin air.

The ship's sudden presence both puzzled and intrigued him. Was it just as damaged as the _Valor_ , if not more? If it wasn't, why hadn't it fled with the rest of the fleet, or at least tried to call for help?

His dilemma was suddenly pushed to the back of his mind as a new problem had emerged. He needed answers for the Corvette's presence near his own ship. Tol turned to Easy to Adjust. The Huragok had floated down to inspect the Corvette alongside the Shipmaster. Tol let out a stern command, "Fetch me my armor."

Easy to Adjust whistled once as it floated to the nearby closet and opened its door, before flying inside. Tol himself walked to the desk to which the dagger sat upon. Moving the blade aside, the Sangheili grabbed a black skinsuit that graced most of his kinds' armor. He carefully slipped it on and fastened it over his own body, covering the grey briefs he wore as undergarments and everything else aside from his head and his hands. Once it was secured, Tol waited for Easy to Adjust to reappear. Once the Engineer did, the two began to secure the Shipmaster's armor over the skinsuit. The process took many minutes, but eventually the two finished.

Tol then grabbed a black cloth off a small gravity lift on his way out of the quarters. As he exited through the door, the Sangheili spoke to Easy to Adjust, "You are dismissed from service until I return. If I do not return for any reason, the Field Marshal is your new master."

He gave the same speech every time he left the room and every time he did, he got the same response: a low, enthusiastic chirp that Tol had come to assume was the Huragok's way of saying "understood." With that said, the Shipmaster left the room, swinging the cloth around his back and hooking it on to two fasteners on the shoulders of the golden armor. Sangheili commanders usually weren't ones for customizing their own looks, but Tol had come to enjoy wearing the large cape around his armor. Not only was it adorned with the crest of his clan on Sanghelios, but it also had several pockets where the Shipmaster had stored several things from extra energy dagger gauntlets, to plasma grenades, to even his arum for times of boredom.

Tol carefully secured the cape and adjusted it to where it would not falter, regardless of the situation he was in. As he did, he continued on down the hallway towards the ship's main corridor, to where he prepared for the long walk to the bridge.

Like the other ships of its class, the _Reclamation of Valor_ was long enough and large enough to carry a small army in it, which is what exactly was in it. 30,000 troops compromised of Sangheili, Unggoy, Kig-yar, Mgalekgolo, Yamne'e and Huragok, as well as thousands of vehicles (air, ground and space) to combat any threats with ease. With this knowledge in mind, Tol was not worried about any combat scenarios at all, save for the highly unlikely event that a massive human fleet suddenly jumped out of slipspace, or some of the Flood had survived Halo's destruction and stowed away on some stolen ships.

As the Sangheili made his way towards the bridge, the many races stopped briefly to stare at their leader, many shocked to see him alive and out of his room. Others seemed to be ecstatic at his appearance. And others, he swore, looked genuinely angry at his appearance. The ones who made up this latter group were largely Kig-yar.

Eventually, Tol came upon the bridge. Pausing a brief moment to take a breath and to compose himself, the Shipmaster then proceeded to open the door and stroll inside and shout to one of the bridge's aids.

"Palip! There is a Corvette outside, and I want to know why it's there and who exactly is piloting it!"

The entire bridge went silent as the Shipmaster entered it unannounced. For a brief second, Tol got no answer, trying his patience. Then, the Unggoy aid known as Palip cleared his throat and spoke up, "Uh, Shipmaster 'Kandomee! W-What a surprise! We've really missed you here!"

"Save your flattery. I want an explanation, now."

"R-Right, of course, sir. Well, we've been communicating with the ship through messages for the past several hours..." Palip explained.

"And?"

"It's called the _Abandoned Salvation_ , sir."

 _Shipmaster 'Ganmee's strike ship_. Tol thought to himself. 'Ganmee was a low-ranking Shipmaster who was often used by 'Vadamee as a scouting party and for quick strikes against the humans to test their response times. The responsibility had previously been that of the _Ardent Prayer_ , a similar Corvette-class vessel. But, after its destruction and the assassination of its Shipmaster during the campaign on the human planet Reach, 'Vadamee had selected the _Abandoned Salvation_ as the Fleet's new "suicide squad" vessel. It was a tad bit ironic that it had survived what a good few ships of the Fleet had not on or near Halo.

"Has Shipmaster 'Ganmee given any status on his ship's condition, or requested any aid?"

Palip let out chuckle, "Uh, well, not exactly..."

"What do you mean 'not exactly?'"

Palip's chuckle turned to a stutter again almost immediately, "W-Well, it would s-seem that the Sh-Shipmaster has been stricken by an u-unholy sickness, and, s-someone else is captaining his sh-ship..."

The news was both surprising and unnerving. "And, who is standing in his stead for the time being?"

"Uh, uh, well..."

A loud groan of impatience was let out to Tol's left side. A Sangheili bridge guard named Jasu who had been standing quietly at his post left the entrance's side and approached Tol and Palip. Under normal circumstances Tol would have considered this an act of disobedience, but considering Palip was too shaken with fear to relay information quickly, and Tol was impatient and desperate to know, he ignored the guard's un-ordered departure from duty and proceeded to let Jasu talk. "The Corvette is under the command of a Prophet, sir."

That news caused Tol's mandibles to hang open in astonishment. _A Prophet? Here?_

The Shipmaster knew that at least three Prophets had been with the Fleet. He had met one of them, the Prophet of Stewardship, during a call with the _Truth and Reconciliation_ 's Shipmaster, Lat 'Ravamee. Stewardship was not the culprit, as he had unfortunately met his end on Halo. Whether he was killed during one of the two human raids of the ship, the Flood's take over of the ship or the Ring's destruction, Tol did not know. That only left two other candidates. He quickly asked the guard, "Which Prophet?"

The guard hesitated for a moment. Because of the full-on face mask, it was impossible to tell Jasu's expression, but the guard was obviously trying to recall the name of the Prophet. "The...Prophet of Tranquility, I believe..."

"Tranquility..." Tol had never met the minor Prophet, but he had heard from some of the other Shipmasters that the Prophet was notoriously...ambitious. Whether or not that was a bad thing in this situation remained to be seen. Still, if the Prophet was trying to call for help, not answering the call was heresy and could even be considered the same as stabbing the San'Shyuum in the back with a blade personally.

"What has the Prophet said in the messages?"

Palip spoke up again, "Not much, s-sir. Just that he has been requesting to port with us ever since the _Abandoned Salvation_ entered our space."

The look on the Shipmaster's face changed from astonishment to a mixture of horror and rage, "What?! And you neglected to summon me?!"

The Unggoy squeaked, "B-Bu-But w-we did!"

"Over the course of the last few days, yes." Janu added. Palip then continued, "W-We've been sending you messages s-since he f-first asked!"

Tol's rage dissipated, replaced with complete horror. In his isolation he had inadvertently neglected the wishes of a Prophet. That was essentially the same as an insult. He had committed heresy for sure now. Part of him wanted to run back to his quarters and commit suicide right now, to avoid Tranquility's fury and a slow, painful execution. But, to do so would forfeit what little honor he had left, and Tol just couldn't bring himself to shame his family and clan like that. Instead, he took a moment to compose himself, then, he spoke to Palip.

"Contact the _Salvation_. Tell the Prophet that he may finally dock with us. I will personally greet him, and apologize for my foolishness."

Palip nodded meekly, "Y-Yes, Shipmaster."

Jasu simply grunted as the Sangheili returned to his former post. Tol immediately turned and headed for the bridge's entrance. He stopped briefly, however, and turned back to Palip, "And, Palip! Tell Field Marshal 'Buranee to meet me in the docking area."

"O-Of course, sir! But…why, sir, if I might ask?"

"He is the second-highest ranking soul on the _Valor_ , and I want both of the ship's top commanders present for the arrival of a Prophet, even if it is just a minor one." With that, Tol left the room, muttering under his breath, "And just in case I don't live through the hour and you get a new commanding officer…"

* * *

Although Tol liked to think that he kept his composure calm and cool most of the time, he knew it better than everyone that his near sprint to the docking bay was very improper for the leader of the ship. He had knocked down at least two people in his rush to meet the Prophet, a Kig-yar merchant who had been busy selling knock-off human "weapons" to eager Unggoy in exchange for the Unggoys' ration packs, and a grounded Yamne'e who had been cleaning itself. Both were rather angry at Tol, regardless of his status, but he paid them little mind. He was focused on one thing alone: giving the Prophet of Tranquility as good a welcome as he could.

As Tol entered the docking bay, he found Fal 'Buranee waiting for him. The Field Marshal's armor was more custom than the standard armor of the normal Field Marshal. Instead of the usual maroon colored armor, Fal had painted his a dark steel color. His armor also appeared to be more out of shape than usual, as it sported holes from one of the projectile weapons used by the humans around the abdomen area, indicating the Field Marshal had neglected to or just simply did not care about armor upkeep. However, the usual purple glowing spikes jutted out of the Sangheili's shoulders and helmet. Tol had figured that the only reason Fal had kept the spines were so the ship's crew could easily identify his rank.

Tol had first met Fal a few years ago, when the Field Marshal's forces were moved under the command of the _Valor_ on the order of 'Vadamee. At the time, Tol had been the ship's first mate, with another Zealot in the position of Shipmaster. However, after a failure on the Zealot's part that allowed three ships of the Fleet to be destroyed by human ships, 'Vadamee had the Zealot executed and Tol promoted to the Valor's Shipmaster. Due to no other viable candidates, Tol made the Field Marshal his first mate, which Fal paid little mind to. Tol's lack of experience at command of an entire small army and a Supercarrier was daunting, and if not for the advice of Fal, he likely would've met the same fate as his predecessor long ago.

Even though Tol was technically his superior, Fal was older and had seen far more skirmishes and battles than the Shipmaster. Tol considered Fal his equal in many regards, but the Field Marshal almost always followed Tol's orders without question. That, however, didn't stop Fal's…unusual personality for a Sangheili…

"Well…look who's back from the great beyond…" Fal joked as he spotted Tol approaching, letting out a laugh that sounded like a low rumble. "Enjoy your vacation?"

Tol ignored the remark, and motioned to the bay doors, "Did Palip explain the situation well?"

"Well enough. There's a minor Prophet aboard the Corvette that's currently docking with us and you want me around just in case flattery does not help your case?"

"Essentially..."

Fal chuckled again. "They've docked. We're just waiting for the Prophet to show up now."

"Any idea how long that will take?"

"Difficult to tell. If he's genuinely angry, he could storm here immediately. He could not really be in a mood to talk and could take an eternity to get here. The point is, we have no idea when he will get here, but, if I had to guess, I'd say..."

The docking bay's doors began to hiss open immediately, and the two Sangheili turned to them. Fal finished his sentence with another joke, "...right now."

As the doors opened, the forms of the Prophet and his guards finally came into view. The Honor Guardsmen walked slowly and silently, not saying a word or looking anywhere but in front of them as they entered the docking bay, turned to their sides, and slammed their energy pikes down on the ground, creating loud clangs of metal on metal. With the pathway guarded, the Prophet and the remaining Honor Guards entered into the ship.

Upon first glance, Tranquility appeared no different than any other high-ranking Prophet. The Crown of Halo, the large, ceremonial headdress, the red robes of the Covenant's High Council, and the large gravity throne that floated several feet off the ground. Really, Tol could have easily mistaken him for any other San'Shyuum Council member, or even the High Prophet of Truth himself. However, there was one thing that set Tranquility off from the rest of his kind. Whereas most Prophets would wear largely unexpressive faces, Tranquility currently wore a rather unsettling smirk.

It wasn't so much the smirk itself, as it was the fact than Tranquility was not fuming mad that Tol had neglected to respond to him for three days. Sure, the Prophet could easily have been using the smirk as a persona to hide his true feelings on the matter, but, there was something about him...something off...

Tol and Fal both got down on one knee and bowed in respect to Tranquility as the Prophet neared them. After a few seconds, he waved them to cease the formality, and the two stood back up. Tranquility then addressed the two, "Which of you two is the Shipmaster?"

The remark was dripping in sarcasm, as the Prophet looked right at Tol when he asked the question. The reason it was asked was simply for the same reason they had bowed to the Prophet: formality. Tol answered him, "I am, my lord."

"And I assume you had good reason to deny a Prophet of the High Council access to your ship for three full days?"

Tol's sense of fear skyrocketed at the question but he kept his composure, and answered, explaining what he had done for the previous days. When he had finished, there was a period of silence. Tranquility stared at Tol, the Prophet's eyes like shots from a Needle Rifle straight into his. Eventually, he spoke again, "You were right to hide yourself in shame, Shipmaster. The destruction of Halo was certainly a failure for every commander in the Fleet, and it is a failure that every one of you needs to be punished for."

Tol's head lowered slightly as he listened to Tranquility. This was it. The Prophet was going to order him executed, or tortured then executed. By the Rings, if he was lucky, Tranquility would just order one of his Honor Guards to run him through with a sword, instead of the long, painful disembowelment that 'Vadamee was likely going through at this very moment.

But then, the Prophet spoke up once more, "You, however, are going to...evade this punishment, for the time being..."

The Sangheili looked up at the Prophet, dumbstruck and confused, "E-Evade, my lord...?"

"Yes, Shipmaster. 'Evade.' As of now, you are guilty of heresy of the highest kind. But unlike your subordinates, who have already fled, you are fortunate, as you now have a way to postpone or even completely avoid the punishment."

A sense of hope began to slowly replace the fear in Tol's hide, and he quickly questioned, "Are you offering to knight me as an Arbiter? I thought only the Hierarchs could do that-"

"No, Shipmaster. The title of Arbiter, although it would fit your situation, is not the solution that has come your way. No, it is something else..." Tranquility began to float away, the Honor Guards close behind him, "Come, to the bridge. I shall explain there."

As their new guests began to move away, Tol looked back to Fal. The Field Marshal was silent, until he let out another deep chuckle and move to follow the Prophet, patting his friend on the shoulder as he passed him. Tol followed the group immediately afterwards.

* * *

The walk back was much shorter than it usually felt, especially with any and all traffic usually present in the halls of the Valor immediately paving way for Tranquility. Once they reached the bridge, it felt to Tol as if it had only been a few minutes. That being said, the entire stroll was uneasy, to say the least. Tol and Fal were deathly silent, as were Tranquility and his Honor Guards. A certain tension hung above the group as they walked, and Tol could sense it. Things didn't really improve once they entered the bridge.

"Prophet, Shipmaster, and Field Marshal on deck!" An Unggoy aid shouted, announcing their arrival. Immediately, everyone present on the bridge bowed to Tranquility, whose smirk only grew as he examined them.

After almost thirty seconds of straight bowing, the Prophet allowed them to resume their duties and turned to Tol, "Shipmaster…if I may inquire, where is your bridge's holotable?"

"Over there, my lord." Tol indicated with his finger to a large, holographically powered table at the backside of the bridge, adjacent to the entrance. Without another word, Tranquility floated to it. The Shipmaster followed close behind.

"Activate it and give me a map of Soell's star system." The Prophet ordered. Tol, now slightly confused, did as he was told and activated the holotable. He quickly input the coordinates of the star known as Soell. Once the star and its orbiting planets and satellites were in view, he awaited further instructions.

"As you know, Shipmaster, Halo was located here." Tranquility pointed to the large, orange gas giant, positioned five planets away from the star, "In orbit of the planet Threshold. That was until its destruction days ago."

Tol lowered his head in shame slightly, but continued to listen, answering only with, "Yes, my lord."

"We have long suspected the existence of a massive Forerunner construct somewhere in the Soell system. We assumed it was simply an undiscovered shield world and not one of Seven Sacred Rings. However, little did we know, that both could inhabit the orbit of the star…"

"What do you mean?" The Sangheili questioned, curious and somewhat fearful of where the Prophet was taking this.

Tranquility's smirk widened into a smile, "Here."

He indicated the planet closest to Threshold, or, the fourth planet in orbit of Soell. It was small and rocky, much like Tol's own homeworld of Sanghelios, only about a third smaller. As Tranquility pointed to it, Tol looked up to him, still wanting an explanation.

"That…is a Forerunner shield world, Shipmaster. And a rather special one at that…"

"That? A shield world?" Fal said as he came to stand next to Tol, "How can we be sure? It looks like any other planet. What's so special about it?"

"I'm glad you asked, Field Marshal." Tranquility cleared his throat, before he began to rant, " It has recently come to the belief of the Prophets that certain shield worlds hold specific artifacts of our Lords. Ancient shield worlds yielded the ascension of both of our races to the stars with the Dreadnought, and the Librarian's Gift awaits us on Requiem, wherever that planet lies. It is my belief, that this specific shield world, could yield yet another powerful and holy creation of the Forerunners…"

Tol's fear was all but gone now, as he leaned closer to look at the planet, zooming onto it with the holotable. He wanted to hear more. "What artifact lies on the planet?"

"Unknown, unfortunately. But, its extremely close location to Halo leads me to believe that it is something of extreme importance to our Lords. And, if it was that important to them, then it shall be even more important to us."

"But, its actual existence cannot be confirmed?" Fal asked. Although curious like him, the Field Marshal seemed to be a bit more skeptical of the situation than Tol was. This caused the smile on Tranquility's face to lessen slightly.

"No. Unfortunately, during our last flyby of the world, the only trace of Forerunner technology we could detect with our sensors was a faint trace deep within the planet's crust. This shield world seems…older than most others…"

"Forgive me, my lord," Fal questioned again, "but, if it cannot be confirmed that such artifacts do exist, then why is the planet of any importance aside from its supposed Forerunner origins?"

Tranquility soured again, "Are you suggesting that our Lords' artifact is false, and that my word is nothing but lies? Why, Field Marshal, I could have you beheaded for such blasphemous remarks!"

Fal bowed in honor of the Prophet, "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect, nor was I trying to be blasphemous. I offer my humblest apologies."

The Prophet calmed slightly, "Apology accepted, but, watch your tongue in the future, Field Marshal." Tranquility turned his attention back to Tol, "The artifacts _do_ exist. That much I am certain of. And that is why, our ships are going to retrieve them…"

It was Tol turn to question, "Noble Tranquility…might I inquire about something?"

"Proceed, but tread lightly, Shipmaster."

Tol nodded in understanding, "If, you and Shipmaster 'Ganmee already visited the planet, why did you not retrieve the artifacts yourselves?"

"That is because, Shipmaster, it would seem our enemies have already discovered the world long before us…" Tranquility motioned to one of his Honor Guards, who carried a large object covered in a cloak. The Guard set the object down on the ground, and lifted the cloak away, revealing the object to be a silver cylinder.

The cylinder was covered in plasma burns, and it had wiring exposed from being damaged. It had obviously been shot down by Covenant banshees. However, what struck Tol the most was the small bit of lettering on its side. Although most of it was unreadable, he could make out the three runes still left comprehensive: COG. More importantly, he was able to recognize the species the runes belonged to.

 _Humans._

"How could humans inhabit a Forerunner shield world?" Tol asked, both astonished that a primitive species like humanity could do that, and disgusted that the cretins had violated yet another one of their Lords' relics.

"We do not know. However, it would seem that they have a…somewhat stable society built upon it."

Fal examined the human cylinder, "These colors…these markings…these aren't the ones of the major human military force…"

"No, the human military known as the UNSC uses different designs for their equipment, as you have all observed before. I believe that the humans on the planet are of a side faction. Perhaps a rival one." Tranquility said, eyeing the cylinder with slight disgust.

"The humans do war with their own kind as well as us…I have witnessed it before our forces slaughtered both sides…" Tol added. It was true too. He had witnessed a massive civil war between the human factions on a human colony, just before 'Vadamee had ordered its glassing.

"Regardless, whether these human are aligned with or at war with the UNSC, they are still the same unholy demons that violate and rape the Forerunners' gifts for their own sickly purposes." Tranquility said, beginning to speak louder, as if he was giving a sermon, "That is why, Shipmaster, I will need your help…"

"Help, my lord?"

"The _Abandoned Salvation_ only has close to a thousand able-bodied warriors and soldiers on it, and two thirds of them are Unggoy and Kig-yar. Hardly a large enough force to annihilate an entire human colony. However, with the combined strength of your Supercarrier, we will have a small army, and a force to combat the heathens directly."

Tol stuttered as he relayed the depressing facts to Tranquility, "But, my lord, we are only 30,000 strong! Even if we caught them off guard, how could we destroy a human colony likely made up of millions?!"

The Prophet, although visibly irritated by his response, remained calm and responded with, "When we last visited there, it was obvious that the residents of the colony were at war with each other. We can use that disarray and conflict to our advantage, and slowly snuff them out."

Tol was still unsure of the plan, but before he could state another point, Tranquility made one of his own.

"I realize that you care for the safety and well-being of your crew and soldiers, Shipmaster, and I admire and respect that. However, due to the Sacred Ring's destruction, you do not have a lot of options. So, I am going to give you an ultimatum: either you can invade the human colony, burn their vile buildings to the ground, retrieve the artifacts and return to High Charity a hero with regained honor. Or..." He motioned to an Honor Guard, who proceeded to unclip his Energy Sword hilt and extend it towards Tol, "…you can take this sword and cut yourself in half, so as to gain one tiny shred of honor back as you die a coward and a heretic…"

The choice was honestly quite difficult. He could go through with the invasion and risk every life on the ship, but, possibly, succeed and be pardoned for his efforts. Or, he could spare his men from danger and kill himself to appease the Prophet and to carry out the justice that he deserved...but then a realization came to him. Tranquility would use his ship anyway, regardless of him being alive or not.

Tol sighed, knowing that only one of the choices was better in the long run.

"When do we start, my lord?"

The Prophet smiled. "Excellent. Set a course for the shield world, Shipmaster. We leave immediately! Prepare all soldiers for combat…

…we are going to burn these worms to ash and cinder…"


End file.
